At the National Prayer Breakfast, Dr. Ben Carson, a world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon at John Hopkins, spoke plainly about today’s moral decay and fiscal irresponsibility to an audience with President and Mrs. Obama, Vice President Biden and other national leaders in attendance in the keynote address.

He spoke out plainly about the deficit and irresponsible fiscal management. He spoke forcefully for a fair flat tax. He talked about growing up in poverty in a single parent family and learning to take responsibility for his own decisions thanks to “a mother who would never allow herself to be a victim no matter what happened — she never made excuses, and she never accepted excuses from us.”

Dr.Carson said his mother paved the way for a better life by insisting he and his brother read rather than watch television.

After awhile, I actually began to enjoying reading those books. I read about people of great accomplishment.

As I read those stories, I began to see a connecting thread: the person who has the most to do with what happens to you in life is you. You make decisions, and you decide how much energy you put behind those decisions. At that point I didn’t hate poverty anymore, because I knew it was only temporary: I could change that.

President Obama didn’t seem to enjoy the speech, which was clearly challenging. It is quite a speech and Dr. Carson is a most impressive figure. Do watch the whole thing.

But Obama was exposed to a devastating speech the previous year given by Eric Metaxas, a historical biographer known for his biographies of the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoffer, and William Wilberforce and the campaign to end slavery.

ADDENDUM: The Wall Street Journal liked Dr. Carson’s speech too. No matter what you have going this weekend, shoveling snow, or watching others shovel on TV, make time to watch this video. Their headline is “Ben Carson for President.”